Angiosperms: Monocotyledons

Poaceae
Grass Family

• Stem: perennial; from underground stems; 1’ to 2’ tall; smooth or with tiny hairs.
• Leaves: sheath smooth, with a keel toward the top; ligule 1/32” long, thin, with a ragged margin; blade 2” to 4” by 1/4”, with prominent auricles, with an abrupt tip, smooth or with a few hairs above.
• Inflorescence: flower stalk branched, cylindrical, contracted, lobed; 2” to 3” long.
• Spikelets: 1/4” long; glumes awned, the upper longer than the lower; one floret; flowering from early August to mid-September.
• Fruits: 1/8” long; fruiting begins in mid-August; fruits begin falling from the glumes in late September.
• Habitat: infrequent on dry to moist prairies; also in open woods and disturbed places.
• Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Vascular Plants of Iowa